Walking through the Rain
by Tears of Eternal Darkness
Summary: A series of oneshots. Parental!RoyEd. Ed has never allowed Roy to help him but when he's all alone, will he except the hand offered to him?
1. Walking in the Rain

Hello! This is my first Fullmetal Alchemist fanfic and I no idea where it came from!

Anyway, this might turn into a series of one-shots, but then again, it might not. It depends on whether I get enough inspiration to write more.

No yaoi! Just parental!RoyEd and maybe EdWinry if I continue.

Disclaimer: I (sadly) do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. If I did, I wouldn't be here. Simple as that.

Enjoy!

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The rain had started coming down harder and faster when he had left the graveyard. His golden hair stuck to the sides of his face but he paid then no heed as he made his way through the deserted streets.

Stopping to cross the road, Edward raised his head to look at the cloudy sky. _Why? Why did this have to happen?_ With a sigh, he stepped out on to the road and was soon across and safely making his way down the other side of the pavement.

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_Where are you? Why aren't you back yet?_ Edward had stayed behind after the funeral and had yet to return. It had been nearly an hour and the boy had promised he would be back before the rain came.

Roy sighed as he stared out his office window at the hard rain that had started half an hour ago.

Making a sharp decision, the Colonel turned away from the glass and grabbed his coat before walking to the door.

"Where are you going, Sir?" The voice of Lieutenant Hawkeye reached his ears and he stopped, his hand resting on the door knob.

"I'm going to look for him." He replied without facing her. "Knowing him, he'll probably try something stupid." And with that he left.

Being in the rain wasn't something Roy enjoyed. Making sure his gloves were hidden safely in the inside pocket of his coat, he proceeded to walk down the many streets of Central.

Pulling his hood up over his head, Roy made sure to keep an eye out for a blonde head and a red coat. So far, he had seen a grand total of two people walking the rainy streets. Neither was blonde nor in red.

With another sigh, the Colonel was about to turn around and head back but when he saw a small figure in red approaching him slowly, he changed his mind and head towards them.

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Edward had been walking for about an hour, with no real destination in mind. The rain hadn't give up on its mission to soak him to the bone and, with his mind on other matters, he hadn't seen the loose slab of concrete sticking out of the pavement until it was too late.

Falling forward, he didn't expect two strong hands to catch him, then again, nor did he expect the pavement to trip him.

"Ed?" A familiar voice asked. Looking up, Ed stared into charcoal eyes.

"Colonel…?" He whimpered and the tears returned. Without thinking, Edward flung his arms around the man's middle and let the dark fabric of Roy's uniform soak up his tears.

Mustang didn't know what to say, so he decided not to say anything. Instead, he wrapped his arms about the boy's shoulders and held him close. _This is the only help I can give you now…_

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So, what'd you think? Corny ending, I know but still… Please review! -


	2. Don't call me short!

Hello! I understand that there was a little confusion on who had died in the previous chapter. The thing is, I intended it to be Al but I'm not really sure. I'll let you guys decide. Oh and thank you to all; who reviewed; I wasn't expecting such a response so soon! Cookies for all!

Summary: Ed has always put up with Roy's stupid "short" comments, but when he's had enough, will their already rocky relationship be permanently damaged?

Disclaimer: I do not own FMA (oddly enough). Do you think I'd be here if I did?

Anyway, here's next one. Enjoy!

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Roy Mustang sat in his office, behind his desk, once again stuck doing paperwork. He would have minded if it was only a little bit, but he hadn't been paying attention to it the past week so it had piled up. Now he could barely see the top of the office door. Not only that, but it was a perfect day outside; sunny with a slight, cool breeze and not a cloud in the sky. _Typical…_

With a sigh, Roy picked up his pen and reached for the paper at the top of the pile. However, just as his pen was about to touch the paper, he heard footsteps coming down the corridor.

Looking up lazily, he was just able to see the top of his office door open before being slammed shut. _Oh, joy…_ He thought sarcastically.

"Hello, Fullmetal." He said not even bothering to move the papers. "And to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I've got your stupid report," Edward's voice snarled from somewhere in front of his desk.

_What? No sarcasm?_ Roy thought suspiciously.

"Stupid Colonel." _Ah, there it is…_

"One moment." Roy stated before standing and moving some of the papers so he could actually see the young Alchemist.

Taking his seat, the Colonel reached out a hand to take the report which Ed was holding impatiently.

With a sigh, Roy began to read. _Great…_ "Perfect penmanship as usual, pipsqueak." He added with a smirk.

Looking up expectantly, Roy was surprised to see Edward was looking down, all anger seemingly gone.

"Why do you do that?" A small voice asked.

Roy frowned. _Was that Ed who asked that? Didn't sound like him…_ "What are you talking about Fullmetal?" he asked turning back to the report.

"You know what." Ed replied just as quietly as before.

With yet another sigh, Roy looked up at the boy with slight annoyance. "I can barely hear you, Fullmetal." He said, leaning forward slightly in his chair. "Why don't you try speaking up a bit, then maybe people will start to realise you're down there." He added with a small smirk, hoping it would bring Ed's mood back to normal.

Ed didn't rise to the bait. Instead, he remained silent, still refusing to look at his superior. "Fullmetal, are you going to-"

"Just stop." Ed's unusually quiet voice cut him off.

"Stop what? What are you talking about?" Roy asked completely confused as to where this had come from.

"You know what!" Ed suddenly shouted and when he raised his head to glare at the Colonel, Roy was shocked to see tears brimming his golden eyes.

"Ed-" He tried but was cut off again.

"Just stop with the stupid insults!" The boy shouted tears threatening to fall.

"Edward, please-"

"Just leave me alone!" Ed yelled before turning and running out of the room.

"Edward!" Roy yelled, standing up. _Great. Just great!_

Letting the report slip from his hand, Roy ran around his desk and out of his office after Edward.

It was unlike Ed to have such a sudden mood-swing. Ok, not that unusual, but Roy had to admit, he had never seem Ed so upset over something so, well, small.

As he ran through the corridors, he made sure to check every turn off for any sign of red. Nothing.

Sighing for the forth time that day, Roy decided that Ed wasn't in the building; the boy had ran in the general direction of the exit, so Roy thought best to head there.

Being a part of the military far longer than Ed meant that he knew more about the layout of the building of Central Command. Which meant that he knew how to get to the exit before Ed did… He hoped.

Taking a left just before the coffee room and then a right just after the third office on the left would lead him to a side door, personnel rarely used.

Pushing it open, Roy stepped out into the sunlight and was hit by a soft cool breeze. As he caught his breath, Roy looked towards the doors just in time to see them open before a small boy dressed in a red coat ran out.

"Edward!" He shouted taking a step towards the upset teen.

Ed stopped at the top of the stone steps and looked him, a mixture of anger and sadness in his eyes.

"Ed…" Roy started but was cut off when Ed turned swiftly and ran down the steps and out the gates of Central Headquarters.

With a heavy sigh, the Colonel decided to let the boy cool off on his own, and so turned and walked back to his office, feeling even worse than before.

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So, what'd you think? I was going to have Roy find and make it up to Ed but it didn't sound right, so I left it. Please review! -


	3. I'm sorry you hate me

Hello! This is a continuation of chapter 2, hope you like it!

Summary: Ed has always taken the "Short" comments from the Colonel. But when he's finally had enough, will he except an apology from his superior?

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. If I did well, let's not go there…

Enjoy!

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With a heavy sigh, Roy Mustang turned the corner to his office. He hadn't realised that his, and others comments, about Edward's height would have effected the boy so much.

As he opened his office door, he thought his day couldn't get any worse…

"Sir." Roy cringed inwardly at the dangerous voice of Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye.

Looking up, he met the woman's steely gaze and attempted a smirk. "Don't worry, Lieutenant," He started before being cut off by his subordinate.

"Go. After him." She said, with the same dangerous tone.

The Colonel opened his mouth to argue but the sight of Hawkeye's hand slowly going to her gun prompted him to swiftly close it.

One look at her face told him he had two options; either go with bullet holes in his brain or without. Needless to say, he chose the latter.

Without another word, he turned and left his office in search for the small, blonde alchemist.

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"Ugh! Where the hell are you?!" Roy growled as he looked about him. He was stood in the middle of a park. Kids were playing some kind of chasing game while their parents sat on the benches nearby. _Edward wouldn't be here, what was I thinking? He's probably hiding in some small-_ Roy shook his head; that sort of thing was what had gotten him into this mess in the first place.

"Damn it!" He cursed loudly. "Why do you have be such a-"

"Colonel?" Roy turned to see Alphonse Elric stood behind him. _Maybe he knows where Ed is…_

"Hello Alphonse." He greeted with a casual smile. "Say, you wouldn't happen to know where Edward is by any chance, would you?"

"Sorry, no." Al replied, polite as always. "I thought he was giving in his report?"

"He was." Roy replied with a sigh. He'd been doing that a lot lately. "But he ran off."

"Is he ok?" Al asked, concern evident in his voice.

_How should know whether your brat of a brother is ok?! _"He left my office a bit… upset."

"Oh."

"I just wanted to find him to make sure he was alright." Roy was trying not to worry the younger Elric but it was proving very hard.

Both fell silent, the only sound coming from the children playing and the rustling of the trees overhead.

_Damn!_ Roy though angrily._ I'm never going to find at this rate. And if I turn up without him, Hawkeye'll…_ Cringed at the thought, he pushed it to the back of his mind. Then, he was struck with an idea.

"Say, Alphonse?" He asked as casually as he could.

"Yes?" The suit of armour replied.

"Whenever Edward gets… upset, does he have a tendency to hide?"

Al thought for a moment before replying. "Well, sometimes. Do you mind me asking why?"

"It's nothing really. You wouldn't know where he would go, would you?" Roy continued to prod. He needed to find Ed before Riza decided his brain needed a few air holes.

"Well," Al replied. "Usually, Brother hides in small places." _I knew it!_ Roy thought. "Last time, he hid near the base."

Roy looked up at the amour and gave him a smile. "Well, maybe I should search there." He concluded. "Thank you Alphonse, you've been a great help."

"No problem, Sir." Al replied with a small bow. Roy gave a quick nod before turning and heading back to base.

"Oh, and if you see Fullmetal," He called over his shoulder. "Tell him I want to see him."

"Ok!" Al replied and he too turned and continued on his way.

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Entering the gates to Central Command, Colonel Mustang looked about him for any sign of red. None. _Great. Hide in a hard-to-find-place why don't you…_

Turning to his left, Roy began making his way to the side of the main building. "I wish Al had been a bit more specific about where Ed was last time." He muttered peering behind some bushes.

Standing, Roy saw something red out of the corner of his eye and turned to see what it was. _That better be him…_ Pushing some leaves aside, Roy was annoyed to find that the piece of red was nothing but a red sock.

Letting out a groan, Roy picked up the offending piece of footwear and glared at it. Then he realised it was one of his own and swiftly shoved it into his pocket.

"Edward?" He called as he walked about the perimeter of the building. He didn't get any response.

With a growl of frustration, Roy decided that Ed wasn't in the grounds of the base and probably wouldn't be seen until the next day.

Sighing, Mustang made his way, slowly up the stone steps to return to his office. He was going to have to face Hawkeye's wrath sooner or later.

Just then, the sound of someone sniffing, as if they had been crying, reached his ears.

Turning to face the source of the noise, Roy was surprised, not to mention somewhat irritated, to find that Ed was sat at the base of one of the pillars, with his knees to his chest.

Taking a step closer, Roy was stumped at what to say. He didn't want the boy to run off again, but he didn't want to have to talk to him either.

"Edward?" He said, trying to sound as calm and nice as possible.

When he spoke, he saw Ed visible stiffen. _Please don't bolt. Please don't bolt. Please don't bolt!_

Taking another step towards the boy, Roy tried again. "Edward?" he asked, still trying to sound calm. "Are you alright?"

When Ed didn't answer, Roy decided upon a different approach. "Fullmetal." He said, all calmness abandoned. "Answer me."

Again nothing.

"Fullmetal!" He practically shouted. "This is an order, answer by ques… tion…" Roy fell silent when he realised his yelling wasn't making things any better; Ed, although he hadn't said anything, was starting to shake and the sound of small sobs once again reached the Colonel's ears.

"I'm sorry." He said a lot calmer now.

Ed's sobs seemed to subside a little as he turned to face his superior with a frown. "You don't mean that. So why you don't you go back to your stupid office and finish you stupid paperwork." He said angrily.

"Because if I do, Hawkeye will put a bullet in my skull." Roy replied and when Ed looked away, he quickly added, "Plus, I'd feel guilty about making you cry."

As if he only just realised he had been crying, Ed swiftly wiped the tears away on his sleeve. "You didn't make me cry." He said defiantly.

Roy gave a small smirk. "Yeah, sure. Why else would you be?" He asked, hoping a small banter would lighten the mood.

It didn't. Ed merely looked down before letting out a small sniffle. "Edward, why didn't you tell me it bugged you so much?" Roy asked, seriously.

Ed shrugged. "I tried." He said quietly, not looking at the Colonel. "I thought my shouting would make you stop. Apparently not."

Sighing, Roy took a few steps closer. "Ed, we-"

"Why?" The boy interrupted.

Roy frowned. "Excuse me?"

"Why did you do it? Call me short all the time?"

Roy blinked. He didn't know why he always called him short. "I guess, because… I knew I'd get a reaction from you." He replied, unsure. "It always seemed to make my day easier."

"Yeah?" Ed asked, finally looking at him. Roy nodded. "Well, it always made my day harder."

"I'm sorry." Roy said again, looking down.

"Yeah, you said that already." Ed stated, sounding a little angry. "And you know what? I don't need it." He added and pushed himself to his feet, his back to Roy.

_Please don't bolt. Please don't bolt. Please don't bolt!_ Was all Roy could think; by the way Ed was standing, it made it look like he was going to run away any second. Roy didn't want to have to run after him but he didn't want to leave it either.

With a frown, Roy made an immediate decision; he stepped forward, grabbed both of Ed's shoulders and spun him around to face him. "What do you want me to say?" He demanded, angrily.

Ed was too shocked to say anything. He had never seen the Colonel this angry at him before and it made him feel even smaller than he already was.

"Well?" Roy said, shaking him a bit. "I've said I'm sorry! What else can I say to make you stop hating me?!" And it was out.

"…H… hating you?" Ed echoed in a quiet whimper.

"You've made it perfectly clear that you dislike me. I'm sorry you've been stuck with me as your superior. I'm sorry I've insulted you and called you short throughout the whole time. And I'm sorry I can't give you the help you need!"

By now, Roy was breathing quite fast. Both were shaking and Roy could see tears in the corners of Ed's eyes.

This made the man's features soften and without warning, he pulled the boy to him, embracing him.

Ed, as shocked as he was, allowed the Colonel to hold him.

It was Roy turn to be shocked when he felt Ed wrap his arms about his torso, small hands gripping the back of his uniform as the boys tears began to fall, once more.

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"Wha'cha looking at?" Lieutenant Hawkeye glanced over her shoulder at Lieutenant Havoc, before looking back out the window and nodding to the two alchemists outside.

"Hmph. So they finally agreed on a truce, huh?" Havoc asked, coming to stand next to the blonde.

"It would seem so." She replied and smiled. _I wonder how long this one will last…_

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They stood together for a few minutes until Ed's tears finally stopped. "Edward. Are you alright?" Roy asked, breaking the silence.

Ed nodded and let go of the Colonel's uniform before pulling away slightly. Roy took this a hint to let go and so released the young alchemist and took a step back.

"I'll be ok." Ed said wiping the last of his tears away. "Thanks." He added looking up at his superior with a small smile.

"You're welcome." Roy said with a smirk. "Well, I've got paperwork to be finishing and I believe Al will be wondering your whereabouts."

Ed nodded and turned to run down the steps. "He was in the park last time I saw him." Roy called after him.

"Thanks!" Ed said, now back to his normal self. "See ya!"

"See you tomorrow, pipsqueak!" Roy called with an all-knowing grin.

"Bye, pervert!" Ed retorted as he ran towards the gate, grinning.

Roy's jaw dropped. "I am _not_ a pervert!"

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… Yeah. This didn't quite turn out the way I wanted it to but, it was the best I could do without making then too OOC. By the by, sorry if Ed seemed a bit OOC and… wimpy.

Please review and tell me what you think! -


	4. Bless you

Ok guys, here's the next chapter. Thanks to all who reviewed! Cookies to all!

Summary: After spending too long in the rain, Ed gets a cold and thinks he can hide it from the Colonel. Oh how wrong he was…

Disclaimer: I (surprisingly) do not own FMA. gasp! shock horror! (Sarcasm)

Enjoy!

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Creak… SLAM! _Oh joy…_ Roy looked up from his paperwork to see a familiar blonde alchemist stood before his desk.

"Good morning, Fullmetal." He said in a bored tone, before returning to his previous task.

"Hmph. I got your report." Edward grunted, thrusting the piece of paper under Roy's nose.

Roy frowned, but not because of the paper being shoved into his face. Looking up, Roy's frown deepened. _Hm… he's never usually this quiet… what's he up to?_

Abandoning his paperwork, Roy brought his hands together and rested his elbows on the desk. "Was there something else, Fullmetal?" he asked, trying to see what the boy was planning.

Ed shook his head. "No, Sir." He replied shortly before bringing a hand to cover his mouth as a small cough escaped him.

Roy's frown turned to one of concern. "Are you feeling alright?" He asked, taking note of how pale Ed looked.

"I'm fine!" The boy replied testily. He immediately regretted raising his voice, however, as another cough, followed by many more, began to shake his small frame.

Standing, Roy made his way around his desk to stand before the boy. Raising a hand, he pressed the palm to Edward's forehead. His action emanating a startled squeak from the boy.

"What are you doing?" Ed demanded, trying to pull away only stopping when yet another coughing fit racked his body.

Satisfied, Roy withdrew his hand. _He has a high fever. Judging by how wet his hair and cloths are, I'd say he's been out in the rain again…_

"Edward." He said, straightening. "I can see you're not very well."

At this, Ed opened his mouth to protest but was interrupted.

"As such, I want- no, I am ordering you to go back to your dorm and get some rest." Roy finished.

Edward made to argue but a sudden sneeze and the pain in his head made him re-think his argument. "Yes, Sir." He said with a sigh.

"Good." Roy said with a small smile. "You're dismissed."

Ed bowed his head slightly before turning and heading for the door.

"Oh, and Fullmetal?" Roy called, making Ed turn, his hand on the door knob. "Make sure you change into something dry before resting."

Edward, slightly taken a back by the Colonel's seemingly sudden concern for him, nodded before opening the door and leaving for his and Al's dorm.

Roy watched the boy go before returning to the other side of his desk and his lovely paperwork. _Hopefully, Alphonse will be there to take care of him… maybe I'll pop in a bit later, just to see how he's doing…_ And with that, Roy picked up Ed's report and began to read.

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Sorry it's short but it was the best I could do! Please review and tell what you think!

-


	5. Braid

Hello! Just some (not so angst-y) fluffiness between our favourite short Alchemist and pyromaniac! (Just so you guys now, this is NOT yaoi! I don't write those)

Summary: He's a bloke. And as such, he's useless when it comes to hair, especially his own.

Disclaimer: I do not own FMA. Only two blue hair bands.

Enjoy!

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"Urgh!" Edward growled throwing the damp thing across the room.

Grabbing the red band and pulling his loose hair through it, he let out another frustrated growl when the elastic chose that moment to break.

"Fine! Don't!" he almost shouted as he stood and grabbed a hat, leaving for Mustang's office.

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_Stomp, stomp, stomp...__! SLAM!_

Roy raised an eyebrow, from where he sat behind his desk. "What's up Fullmetal?" He asked, not bothering to look away from his "beloved" paperwork.

"Nothing that concerns you." Ed replied with an obvious hint of aggravation in his voice.

Roy sighed. "Fine." He said finishing the current form before placing his pen down and raising his head to observe the annoyed, young alchemist.

"Now," he started but stopped when he saw the overly-large hat sat atop Edward's head. "Why, pray tell, are you wearing a hat, Fullmetal?" he inquired.

When Ed didn't reply, Roy took in a deep breath and let it out _very_ slowly before standing and walking around his desk with his hands behind his back.

When he reached the irritated blonde, who sat fuming on one of the sofas, he reached down and, with all the stealth the military had given him, he grabbed the hat and yanked it up and out of Edward's reach before the young alchemist could so much as blink.

When realisation sank in, Edward jumped to his feet and attempted to grab the dark blue hat from the Colonel, who merely held it higher above his head.

"Give it back!" The blonde shouted angrily.

Roy smirked at the sight of Ed's usually perfectly braided hair now flying all around. "Why?" He asked amused.

Ed stopped his vain attempts of retrieving the hat, to stare at his superior in disbelief. "You're kidding." He stated blankly.

Roy merely blinked.

"How can you not realise?" Ed demanded, looking at Roy as if he had purple hair. "Look at it!" he then added a little louder, jabbing a finger at his messy golden locks.

"I see nothing wrong with it." Roy stated, placing a hand on top of Ed's head.

"Really?" Ed didn't sound convinced as he held up a broken hair band and a hair brush with half its bristles missing.

Roy frowned. "How-?"

"How do you think?!" Ed interrupted him.

"Ah." Roy concluded. He then turned and walked behind Lieutenant Hawkeye's desk and started digging through her draws.

After a few seconds, Roy reappeared holding a hairbrush. "Here." He said holding it out for Edward to take.

Ed scowled but stepped forward and took it anyway, muttering his thanks as he returned to the sofa and started to run the soft bristles through his hair.

Roy smirked before returning to his own desk and continuing with his paperwork.

After a while, Edward's voice cut through the silence. "Um… Colonel?" He asked quietly.

"Hm?"

"You wouldn't happen to have a hair band, would you?"

Roy stopped to think for a moment. "Hang on." He stated standing and once again, going to Hawkeye's desk.

"Here you go." He said tossing over a dark blue hair band before returning to his own work.

"Thanks." Ed muttered and then proceeded to braid his hair.

Roy let out small sigh of relief as silence, once again, fell in the office. _Ah, peace and quiet…_

"Urgh!" _Or maybe not…_

With a sigh, Roy placed his pen on the desk again and looked at the still irritated alchemist. "What wrong now?" he asked.

"My stupid hair!" Ed all but shouted, slamming the hair brush down on the table and slumping back on the sofa in defeat.

Taking another deep breath, Roy stood and made his way to the sofa where Ed was currently sat.

Picking up the hair brush, Roy walked behind the sofa and stood behind Edward. "Sit up." He instructed.

"Why?" Ed groaned.

"Just do it." Roy replied, getting slightly irritated himself.

"Fine." Ed complied with a heavy sigh.

"Thank you."

Edward was about to open his mouth ask what the Colonel was planning when he felt soft bristles making their way through his hair.

"Colonel, what are you-"

"You've got knots." The Colonel interrupted him.

"Excuse me?"

"Your hair;" Roy replied as he continued to brush the boys hair. "It's knotted. That's why you're having trouble with it."

Ed was a little stunned to say the least. "Oh." Was all he could manage.

The next few minutes were spent in silence as Roy Roy brushed, separated and braided Edward's hair.

"Hair band?" Roy finally asked, holding out a hand.

Edward handed it over, and after a few soft tugs, the band was in and his hair was finally out of his way.

"All done." Roy said before returning to his work, once again, leaving the brush on Hawkeye's desk.

Ed slowly reached up to feel the Colonel's handiwork. He was surprised that Roy could braid so well.

"Uh… Thanks?" Ed said unsure.

"What?" Roy asked with a small smirk. "Didn't think I could braid hair?"

Ed shook his head but said nothing.

"Hmph. I've dated too many girls with long hair not to know how to braid." He stated returning to his papers.

"Right." Ed replied still a little unsure. "Um… well, thanks." He added. "Can I have my hat back now?"

Roy's smirk grew. "Here." He said tossing the hat without looking.

Ed caught it before taking a seat again.

After a moments silence, Ed became slightly uncomfortable. "So," He said, sound more confident now. "What's this mission you got for me?"

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I know it's short! And I am also well aware that it's not angst but I couldn't resist! Please tell me what you think! -


	6. I hate my job

Hello. This is not that angst-y but its close enough.

Summary: Roy has dreaded the day Edward would be summoned to go to war…

Disclaimer: I do not own FMA… soon the Risembool Ranger will rule the world and then… -evil laughter-… -chokes-… yeah…

Enjoy!

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Tick, tick, tick, tick…

The sound of the second hand on the clock seemed louder than it really was.

Roy Mustang had never really enjoyed his job to begin with, but this… this near enough summed up everything he hated about his chosen career.

The large, brown envelope had been sat on his desk, untouched, for over an hour. Usually, it didn't affect him as much, when large brown envelope appeared on his desk; usually they meant a promotion or pay rise. Not this time.

This time it meant something completely different. Something he was all too familiar with. How did he know? The golden seal of Furher King Bradley was holding it shut, not to mention it had his full name, plus his official state title, clearly written in black ink on the front. War.

Yes, another war had broken out somewhere in Amestris and now, _he_ was being asked to send certain troops from Central to the battlefield.

"Um… Sir?" Roy looked up into the placid face of Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye, concern only evident in her eyes. She nodded towards the envelope.

With a heavy sigh, Roy turned his gaze back to the cursed brown package. _Not many returned last time…_ he thought bitterly as he reached out a hand and slowly picked it up.

Glancing up for a second, Roy was glad that Riza had returned to her duties of sorting through more paperwork for him to complete later.

Returning to the task at hand, Roy broke the seal and hesitantly pulled out the official piece of paper that listed all the troops he was to send out.

He didn't want to look. He didn't know how, but he just knew that at certain name was going to appear on the list and he didn't want to see that.

Swallowing hard, Roy turned the list over with shaky hands, before reading through the long list of names.

"Sergeant Denny Brosh… Sergeant Major Kain Fuery… Second Lieutenant Heymans Breda… Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc," He frowned. "Second Lieutenant Maria Ross…

First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye," He winced. He had expected her to be there but still…

"Major Alex Louis Armstrong…" _That's to be expected…_ "Major Ed-" He stopped.

With a sigh, he lay down the paper. Without looking at her, he called to Hawkeye, "Lieutenant, bring Edward in immediately."

Riza looked up from her work and, with an understanding nod, she left to get the boy in question.

Roy Mustang had never enjoyed his job to begin with, but this, by far, was the worst part of it; telling a fifteen year old boy he had to go to war.

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Sorry it's so short. Please review. -


	7. I lied

Hi, this is a continuation (of sorts) of the previous chapter "I hate my job". (And yes, I know I've updated twice in the same day)

Summary: War can be so hard to explain, especially when you're telling a child that they must fight…

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters (no matter how I wish I owned them)

Enjoy!

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Knock, knock… creek…

Roy looked up as Riza stepped into his office. "Sir, I brought Edward Elric." Riza stated as the short, blonde stepped through the door, looking somewhat puzzled.

Roy nodded and Riza left the room, shutting the door behind her. Edward watched her go before turning to face his superior. "Colonel, what-"

Roy held up a hand before indicating to the solitary chair that sat in front of the man's desk. Ed stared for a moment before complying.

Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Roy sat forward in his chair. "Edward," He began, trying to think of the best way to tell him.

Edward sat watching him. He was unsure what was going on, but he knew it must be serious. The use of his real name confirmed that.

"Edward, what I am about to tell you must be taken seriously." He stated, stalling for time.

Ed continued to sit in silence.

Setting his jaw and shoving all feelings aside, Roy's eyes locked with Edward's. "Edward," He started in an emotionless tone. "I have just received the list of troops I am to send to the front line."

Edward frowned, _Why's he telling me…? Wait a minute…-_

"Your name is on this list." Roy stated.

Edward couldn't believe what he was hearing. "W-What?" He managed.

"You have been summoned to go to war." Roy continued. "Now, get your things ready, you leave tomorrow morning."

Edward was shocked to say the least. He sat frozen to his seat. _No… I can't go to…_

"Fullmetal." Roy's voice was hard but not cold. "You're dismissed."

_I can't… You said…_ "No." Edward whispered.

"What did you say, Fullmetal?" Roy asked emotionlessly. "I said get ready. You're going to need a uniform, so I suggest you get it now."

"No!" Edward shouted, looking defiantly at the Colonel.

"That's an order!" Roy said, with a frown.

"No!" Ed shouted again as he jumped to his feet.

"What?"

"I said no! You said I would never have to go to war! You promised!"

Roy suddenly remembered the conversation the two had had a few days ago;

"_Colonel?__"_

"_Hm?"_

"_Will I… will I ever have to go to war?"_

"… _No."_

"_You sure about that?"_

"_Fullmetal, will you__ shut up if I promise you won't?"_

"… _Yeah."_

"_Fine. Then I promise."_

Roy's gaze lowered to the desk in front of him. Taking another deep breath, the man slowly stood and walked around his desk to stand in front of Edward.

Kneeling down slightly, Roy placed his hands on Ed's shoulders. "Edward," He said, locking eyes with the boy again. "You were guaranteed to be summoned at some time."

Ed stared at him, angry tears brimming his golden eyes. "But… you promised." He squeaked.

"I know I did." Roy said, straightening and walking back behind his desk. "I lied."

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-


	8. I'm sorry

Ok, this is another continuation of the previous chapter "I lied".

Summary: Somehow, he never thought he would come back being carried by six strong men…

Disclaimer: I do not own FMA… -cries-

Enjoy!

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The rain was coming down harder now. The soft dirt below his boots, quickly turning to mud.

With a tired sigh, Roy raised his face towards the heavens but he did not cry; he promised himself he wouldn't. He didn't want him to see his tears.

The ceremony had finished hours ago, before the rains came yet he remained; blaming himself for the body that now lay in the ground.

_Why?_ He though, angry at himself as he lowered his gaze to stare at the newest member of the cemetery. _Why did I allow you to go? Why didn't I confront the Furher of his decision?!_

Frowning, he glanced at the only other person in the graveyard; Lieutenant Hawkeye. She stood silent to his left, cap covering her eyes as a few stray tears fell onto her pale cheeks.

_She's waiting for me…_ He thought. _But the young girl who always waited for him… she'll wait no longer… because he won't be coming back…_

The two of them had had such an odd relationship; she would always berate him and sometimes even hurt him when ever she saw him, yet she always fixed his Automail without a word. She always stood by him, always tried to make him happy.

Not like his relationship with him, at all. He would always send him off on a mission, whether it was dangerous or not, he always did. The boy always went and when he returned, Roy would moan at him for whatever damage he may have caused on his travels. Not to mention he never said "Thank you" when he received a report. Never.

But oh, how he wished he had said it now. He really wished he had treated the boy better. He deserved better.

"_Will I… ever have to go to war?"_

"… _No."_

The words sounded clearly in his mind. And he was forced to remember the anguished face as admitted to the lie. His lie.

"You fool!" He berated himself, angrily. "I lied to a fifteen year old about sending him to war!"

Riza looked up and placed a gentle hand on her superiors shoulder. "Sir…" She started but was interrupted by a heavy sigh.

"I said he… I promised he would never be sent!" Roy continued angrily.

"Sir, you were only following orders-"

"And look where it's gotten me!" He suddenly shouted, turning his head to glare at her through a thick haze of unshed tears.

Riza removed her hand and took a step back. "I know, Sir." She said quietly, looking down.

Roy turned back to the grave. "I'm-"

"Sir, don't." Riza cut him know what he was about to say.

"I'm sorry." He said ignoring her. "I'm sorry!" He shouted, raising his head to the skies that refused to stop crying.

Riza watched him, her own tears slowing subsiding. "Sir," She said gently, taking a step towards him. "He wouldn't have wanted you to blame yourself. He knows it wasn't your fault."

Roy lowered his gaze, once again. "Maybe you're right, Riza." He said. "And maybe he does forgive me for sending him out,"

"But?" Riza asked quietly.

"But even if he does, I never will."

Riza couldn't take much more; she stepped forward, turned her Colonel to face her and drew him into a warm embrace.

"It's alright." She said softly. "Even if you can't forgive yourself now, at least realise that, no matter what you did, Edward would have gone to war at some stage of his military career."

Roy nodded as he subcame to the tears and finally let them fall as he returned his Lieutenants embrace. "Edward…" He muttered. "Edward, I'm sorry… I'm so, so sorry..."

"Shh." Riza soothed as the rain continued to come. _One day, Colonel… One day I hope you realise that this was never your fault… and maybe then, you can finally start to heal…_

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-


	9. Red socks!

Hello! Thank you and cookies to all those who reviewed so far! I'm glad you like it! Anyway, here is another (slightly happier) chapter.

Just a quick note; this is just a stupid idea about the red sock from chapter… a previous chapter. Not to be taken seriously as its soul purpose is to make you all happy readers as my last chapter was _very_ depressing. I don't even know if it makes sense but, oh, well.

Summary: Roy's not the only one who wears red socks…

Disclaimer: I do not own FMA or its characters. But I do own the kawaii Ed plushie I got from the London Expo con last Saturday! Yay!

… Enjoy!

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Ed growled. He had gotten up early, come to Roy's office and for what? Just to be shown a piece of footwear.

"And you're showing this to me because…?" Ed asked, sounding irritated.

"Fullmetal," Roy said, trying to hide his amusement. "This sock is far too small to fit my foot."

Ed frowned but kept quiet.

"I doubt that anyone else wears red socks in this office and the only person I can think of with small feet is-"

"WHO YOU CALLING A MICROSCOPIC BEAN?!"

"-You." Roy finished with a grin.

"Fine!" Ed fumed. "So you found a small red sock, what's that got to do with me?"

Roy couldn't suppress his grin as he held up the sock once again. "Tell me, Fullmetal, what size feet do you have?"

Ed blinked, finding the question somewhat random. "… Size 3, why?" (1)

"Well, I think I found its owner then." Roy said, tossing the sock to the blonde. "At least now you won't get cold feet." He added, and with that, he returned to his paperwork.

Ed scowled at the Colonel. He then turned and plopped himself down on the sofa before removing his right boot.

Roy caught the action in the corner of his eye but kept quiet.

After replacing the small red sock on his flesh foot and pulling the heavy boot to cover it, Ed stood and left the office but not before throwing a much larger red sock onto Roy's desk.

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(1) This is a UK size. Also, I have no idea what size feet Ed has, so I'm just guessing he is a size 3. My logic? I'm 5 foot 3 inches and have size 5 feet. He is 4 foot 11 inches and so I can only guess that he would have small feet due to his lack of height. (Size 3 sounded about right.)

There! Now, I know it's short, but it works, right? Right? Please tell me what you think! -


	10. Happy Halloween!

Hey! It's Halloween here in the UK and so I decided to write this (attempted) cute chapter!

Summary: Ed always loved Trick or Treating…

Disclaimer: I'm poor; I do NOT own Fullmetal Alchemist.

Enjoy!

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_I love Halloween…_ Ed thought as he pulled his vampire cap on. _It's a great time to just relax…_

Looking at the clock, the young Alchemist smiled. _7:30. Got loads of time!_

With one last costume check, Ed grabbed his candy bag and headed out the door, already planning his root around the city.

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Roy Mustang let out a frustrated sigh as he glared menacingly at the pile of papers that had somehow made their way onto his desk. _8:00 and I'm _still_ here…_

Picking up his pen, the Colonel grabbed the first paper and began to sign it when he caught the sound of children running and shouting in the streets outside Headquarters.

Frowning, the dark haired man stood and went to his window. Seeing that there were many groups of children, all dressed in some kind of 'scary' costume, running around the streets and going from door to door collecting candy, Roy was thankful that he was stuck inside his office.

Settling back into his chair and picking up his pen to sign the next paper, Roy was once again interrupted by a swift knock on his door.

"Come in." He said absently, not bothering to look up.

The door opened with such force that it hit the wall with a loud bang. Roy sighed. "What is it now, Fullmetal?"

Edward stomped into the office and flopped on the sofa in a huff, making Roy look up from his oh-so-loving paperwork.

"Shouldn't you be outside?" Roy asked, as Edward removed his false vampire teeth. "Y'know, trick or treating, terrorising little kids."

At this Ed shot him a scowl.

"What's wrong?"

"Hmph." Ed replied.

Roy raised an eyebrow. "Care to elaborate?"

"I can't." Ed huffed.

"You can't what?" Roy inquired, inwardly liking the small distraction from working but also hating that it was Edward in a bad mood.

"I can't go trick or treating."

"Why?" _You keep tripping over your cap?_ Roy was tempted to add but restrained from doing so.

"The _police_ keep stopping me and telling me that I'm not allowed out without a parent or responsible adult." Ed sounded very annoyed and Roy knew why and so, not wanting to irritate the blonde further nor loose his hearing, the man kept quiet about it.

"And you came here because…?" He asked instead.

Ed shrugged. "Because I don't have a responsible adult to go with me." He replied. "And if I can't have fun then neither can you." He added with a frown aimed at his superior.

Roy sighed for the third time in just ten minutes. _Why? Why dose he always have to bug me-? _Then he was struck with an idea. _Wait! If he's here because he needs someone to come out with him and I'm stuck in here, then maybe…_ A grin spread across his face.

"Fullmetal?" Roy said turning to his subordinate, grin still in place.

"What?" Edward asked, oblivious.

"I don't really want to be stuck in here any more than you do."

"Hmph. So?"

"So," Roy said standing. "You said you need an adult to come out with you, so… why don't I come with you?"

Ed blinked. "…What?" He stared at him in disbelief.

"If I come with you on your candy hunt, then I get out of here and you don't get stopped by the police." Roy explained. "We both win."

Ed blinked again. He then opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. Roy smirked. _I love it when he's speechless…_

"So?" The older Alchemist asked, stepping out from behind his desk. "Are we going or not?"

Ed shook himself out of his shocked daze. "Um… yeah, Ok." He replied slowly. He wasn't sure whether he could trust the Colonel yet.

Roy smiled. "Good." He said cheerfully, as he grabbed his coat and made his way to the door.

Seeing the genuinely cheerful smile on the Colonel's face, all mistrust was soon forgotten and Edward was on his feet, candy bag in hand and heading towards the door.

Roy opened the door and allowed the boy to pass. As the he did so, Ed grinned up at the man. "Thanks." He said before putting his fangs in and running towards the main door.

_This is going to be a very interesting night. _Roy thought as he closed his office door and followed the overly happy blonde out of the building. _Oh, yes. Very interesting…_

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I'm sorry! I couldn't resist! It is now 20 minutes past midnight but oh well! Anyway, Happy Halloween to all of the UK Risembool Rangers!

Please review! -


	11. Thunder scare

Hello! I'm sorry this took a while but I finally decided on which one I was going to write and upload next and…well, this is it.

Summary: Edward Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist, Hero of the People, isn't scared of anything. Or so Roy thought…

Disclaimer: … Pft! Yeah right! I _wish_ I owned it, but I don't. So no. -smirks-

Enjoy!

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_Rumble, rumble, CRACK! FLASH!_

Flinch.

Roy frowned but kept quiet as he read through the surprisingly long, yet very badly written, report.

A heavy silence fell once again in the office and Roy kept having to glance at his clock to make sure it was still day because it was so dark outside.

_Rumble, rumble, CRACK!_

Another flinch.

Roy's frown deepened but again he said nothing as he read the last few lines of the report that was almost two whole pages long. This would have been a good thing had it not been mostly babble.

With a heavy sigh, the Colonel placed the two pages on his desk before turning his gaze to the short blonde who stood silently before him.

"As interesting as that was to decode," Roy drawled with a playful smirk tugging at his lips. "I afraid I'm going to have to ask you to redo it, Fullmetal."

"What?! Why?!" Edward demanded with a frown.

Roy smirked. "Because it's mostly just padding; you've only written four lines about the actual mission."

Ed's frown deepened but lost its effect when he clamped his eyes shut as yet another loud thunder crash sounded outside.

Roy's amusement quickly dwindled.

"Fullmetal." Edward opened his eyes but did not look at his superior. He knew the man's smirk was gone but he still didn't want to meet his gaze. "Fullmetal, look at me."

Slowly, Edward lifted his gaze to meet Roy's eyes. The Colonel had a frown in place. However, it was not one of anger but one of concern.

Ed realised this and immediately placed a stubborn frown on his face. "What?" He demanded, not sounding as convincing as he had hoped.

_Rumble, CRACK!_ Flinch.

"Scared?" Roy asked. He wasn't smirking.

"No." Ed lied.

"Then why are you flinching?"

Ed was silent, trying to think of a relevant excuse. Nothing came.

"Well?" Roy prodded.

Ed clenched his fists. "Because…" He started but faltered as another loud crack sounded. "Because… I'm scared of thunder."

It was barely above a whisper and Roy had to strain his ears to hear him above the sound of the rain hitting the window.

"That's all." Ed added quietly.

Roy's frown deepened. "Edward," He said softly. "You are the bravest fifteen-year-old I know. What could possibly make you scared of thunder?"

Ed was silent for a long while and Roy thought he wasn't going to answer.

"It was raining that night." Ed said in a small voice. "And thundering."

Roy wasn't sure what the boy meant at first but know he understood. "You dislike the sound of thunder because it reminds you of that night." A small nod confirmed this.

"I'm sorry." The word caught Ed by surprise.

"What for?" He asked.

"For teasing you about it." Roy replied.

"That's ok." Ed said with a shadow of a smile.

"Then you accept my apology?"

Ed pretended to think about it. "I guess so." He said, smiling.

"Good." Roy said with his own smile.

Silence fell between them again but was quickly broken by a not so loud crack from outside. Roy noticed Ed flinched slightly and decided that distracting the boy from the storm might make him forget his fear.

"You know," The man said, standing and walking round his desk. "It probably won't stop raining for a while."

Ed looked up at his superior but said nothing.

"And," Roy continued. "I highly doubt that either of us wants to go out in it today."

Ed remained silent, wondering what the Colonel was up to.

"So," Roy said, switching on the radio that sat on his desk. "How about we relax until it dies down outside?"

Ed's smile returned and grew even larger when Roy produced a pack of cards for them to play with.

And with the radio playing random music, the two settled down on the couch and Roy began to deal out the cards.

Edward was determined not to be beaten by the Colonel. And to the dark-haired man, the blonde seemed to have forgotten about the thunder outside, but in reality, he knew what Roy was doing. He knew he was trying to distract him and, for once, he was grateful.

_Thanks Colonel. I know I don't say it enough, but this time, I think you really deserve it…_ "Thanks."

Roy looked up. "For what?" he asked.

Ed smirked. "Nothing." He said with a shake of his head. "Your turn."

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… -sigh- I know I took ages. I'm sorry. I also know that both Roy and Ed were probably completely OOC but it was the best I could do. Again, I'm sorry.

Please review and let me know what you think! Thanks! -


	12. Dad?

Yay! Two updates in a week! I hope you appreciate this… Kidding!

Summary: When a child has a nightmare, their father is supposed to comfort them, right?

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Nothing at all! … Besides my kawaii Ed plushie… -grins-

Enjoy!

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Roy looked up from his paperwork to glance at the sleeping blonde curled up on his office couch. The boy had come back from a very long and tiring mission that day and had handed in his report late, as usually.

After much yelling and taunting from both parties, Ed had flopped onto the couch and refused to leave until his report was read. Next thing Roy knew, the blonde had curled up on his side and fallen asleep.

He had been peacefully snoozing until something changed, whether a dream or a memory the man didn't know, but whatever it was, was causing the boy distress.

Roy first noticed when Edward shifted onto his back with a small noise halfway between a groan and a whimper. He had thought nothing of it but when the boy started tossing and turning as if having a nightmare, he became concerned.

After watching him for a few minutes, Roy's concern died down as Ed began to settle onto his side. Silence once again fell about the office with only the sound of the wind blowing softly outside.

"Mm… d-… don't…" Roy looked up when the almost silent words reached his ears. Watching the sleeping form closely, the Colonel noticed a small frown on Edward's face.

"Don't… don't… no…!" Roy frowned. He knew what happened in Ed's past but that didn't mean he knew exactly what went on in the boy's mind.

As Roy pondered on the soft whimpers, Ed began to toss again and was soon looking very distraught.

"No…! Don't… don't go...! No!" The man was brought out of his musings by the upset voice that sounded far too young.

After a moment, Roy noticed that Ed's tossing had turned into thrashing. Having had enough, he pushed himself out of his chair and walked around his desk and towards Edward.

Slowly, Roy knelt down beside the couch and raised his hand, meaning to wake the boy. Instead, he found himself blocking as a small Automail fist flew out in his general direction. Catching the wild blow, Roy raised his other hand and gently shook Ed's shoulder.

It didn't wake him. Instead, Ed unconsciously tried to free himself. "No…! Don't… no…! Don't go... d…" Roy's frown deepened; the whimper had dwindled off into a silent whisper but he was able to catch the last word spoken.

"Edward." He said shaking the boy's shoulder a little firmer this time.

"Nyah…! No… don't… go…!"

"Edward!" Roy said firmly.

"Come… back…!" Ed's struggles against Roy grip were becoming increasingly more violent.

"Edward!" Roy finally shouted.

"Dad!" The boy's body jerked and his golden eyes flew open.

Roy kept hold of the metal wrist just in case but when he saw Edward relax, he let out a sigh of relief and loosened his grip.

"Mustang?" A small voice asked. Looking down, Roy met large, golden orbs. "Why are you holding my wrist?"

Roy released the wrist completely before standing and straightening his uniform. "You were about to fall off the couch." He lied.

Edward stared at him for a moment before swinging his legs over and standing. "You know you're a terrible liar, right?" he said.

Roy turned with a sigh. "You looked like you were having a nightmare so I saw fit to wake you." He stated facing the blonde. "Unfortunately, your thrashing nearly gave me a black eye."

Ed looked down at his boots as Roy's words sunk in. _He knows I had a nightmare._ He thought, bitterly._ Great, now he's probably gonna tease me about it…_

"Did you want to talk about?" Roy asked, pulling Ed from his thoughts.

The boy looked up but said nothing. Instead, he stepped forward and wrapped his small arms around the man's waist.

The gesture caught Roy off guard; Edward _never_ hugged _anyone_, least of all him. Maybe he was still asleep…? _Not likely…_

"Thank you…" A soft, slightly muffled voice said. Roy looked down at the boy to see that he had buried his face in the front of the man's uniform.

Roy opened his mouth to say something but no words came out. Closing it, Roy sighed and lightly wrapped his arms about Ed's shoulders. "You're welcome."

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I just realised that the ending is a lot like chapter 1… sorry, please forgive me!

Oh, and please let me know what you think! Thanks. -


	13. A present for Winry

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!! This is another holiday shot that I am dedicating to my sister, Mooncinder, because she gave me the idea.

Summary: It's Christmas Eve but Edward has yet to find the perfect present for Winry…

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Don't you know that yet?

This has slight EdWin but nothing romantically-mushy.

Enjoy!

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Edward didn't hate Christmas. In fact, he loved it. It was just the weather that came with it he hated; it always made his ports ache and that meant he had to wear extra layers whenever he ventured outside. Not that he minded his navy blue scarf it was just the matching mittens that went with it.

He would have chosen to stay inside today. However, he had yet to get one more present; Winry's. He had thought of just getting her chocolates or a stuffed bunny at first but then he remembered that he had no idea what chocolate Winry liked. The bunny would have been good but he had to take it on the train and, well… needless to say, he was _not_ doing _that_.

As he wondered down the snow-coated streets, towards the centre of the city, Edward couldn't help but wonder what Winry had got him. _Maybe a new coat… some socks would be nice…_

Sighing, Ed rounded the corner that led to the shopping square of Central. There weren't that many people around so hopefully he should be able to find a present quickly and get home without too much hassle.

The first shop he entered was a book-shop. _Maybe she'll appreciate a book on Automail…_ he thought as he approached the clerk.

"Hello, Sir." The clerk said kindly. He was quite short in stature with a rather round belly and his long, chestnut hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail. "How can I help you?"

"Hm, do you have any books on Automail?" Ed asked looking up. The man thought for a minute before making his way to a small corner of the book shop.

"I believe we have a small collection over here." He said indicating to a bookshelf that was packed with numerous thick tomes of various titles.

"Oh. Thanks." Ed said stepped closer to the shelf. The man smiled, turned and headed back to the counter where another customer was waiting patiently.

Edward turned his attention to the book shelf… and gawped. There were loads! How was he to know what one she would want? _Oh man! This is bad! Winry could already have these. I'm doomed…_

Edward sighed as he started to read off the titles, "Ok. _A beginners guide to Automail_? Nah, Winry's no beginner… _Automail: A History_? No… _Automail for Dummies_?! I don't think so…"

Moving onto the next shelf, Ed found there to be a few more books whose titles suggested they would be used by more professional mechanics.

"_10 ways to stop Automail from rusting_. I'm sure she's got that one…_ Automail bombs and other hidden weapons… _No." Edward decided to move swiftly away from that one. "Hm. _What to do when your Automail hand tries to kill you and other bizarre happenings…_?"

Edward stared. "Maybe a book isn't such a good idea." He concluded and turned quickly and left the shop.

The next place Edward entered was a small bits and bobs shop. It was cosy and had many strange yet very interesting gadgets hanging from the ceiling, sitting on shelves or crawling across the floor.

Edward couldn't help but smile as he watched a wind up bear-shaped doll crawl across the floor and behind the counter where a young girl was crouched arranging the counter display.

Noticing Edward, the girl stood. "Hello." She greeted with a smile. "Can I help you at all?"

Ed nodded slightly before stepping up to the counter. "I'm looking for a present to give to an Automail mechanic but I have no idea what she likes."

"Hm." She frowned as she did a mental search of the items in her store. "How about one of these?" She said stepping out from behind the counter and walking towards one of the shelves.

On the shelf, she took down a small box. "What's that?" Ed asked.

"This is the RoboBear 200." The girl replied. "It's a great companion for any mechanic; it can fetch tools out of ones reach and once it gets used to it's environment, it can find it's way to anything you ask it to."

Edward was impressed. _Winry would love to have one of these. It could really help her when she's working on a big project or something… then again she'd probably take it apart to see how it works before using… hm…_ "How much?" he asked.

"2000." The girl replied happily.

_2000?! Then again it is for Winry so…_ "Is it alright if I come back later?"

"Sure." The girl said placing the box back on the shelf. "But we haven't got many of these left."

"Ok, thanks." Ed said and left the shop.

Once outside, Ed let out a heavy sigh. "What am I gonna do now?" he asked the snow-clouds overhead.

"What's up, Fullmetal?" Ed looked to his left to see Colonel Roy Mustang walking towards him.

"Nothing that concerns you." He replied with a scowl.

"Really?"

Ed didn't reply.

"Come on." Roy said with a warm smile. "I'm looking for a present too."

------------

"Winry, huh?"

Ed nodded. "Yeah. But I have no idea what to get her."

Roy smirked. "Have you thought about getting her flowers?"

"No." Ed replied but stopped as the man's words sunk in. "Hey, just what are you implying?"

Roy couldn't help but laugh at the hint of panic in the boy's tone. "Nothing." He said, feigning innocence.

"Hmph." Ed grunted. "So who are you buying for anyway?"

"An old friend of mine actually." Roy replied. "She's stuck with me for a long time and I think it's about time I repaid the favour."

Ed nodded in understanding; the Lieutenant was a good friend of his too. "So," Roy said, changing the subject. "What are you going to do about Winry?"

Ed didn't reply right away.

"How about you get her a small gadget or something?" Roy suggested.

"Well," Ed said slowly. "There was one thing I saw in that bits and bobs shops over there but…"

"But what?"

"It was 2000."

Roy raised an eyebrow. "And you don't think she's worth that-?"

"Of course I do!" Ed interrupted before he could stop himself.

"Then what's the problem?" Roy asked, choosing not to comment on Ed's outburst. However, when the blonde didn't reply, he spoke his thoughts.

"You think she's worth more." He stated and Ed hesitantly nodded.

With another smirk, Roy came to one conclusion; "Well, get her the gadget then."

Ed opened his mouth to protest but was interrupted by his superior. "And if you don't think it's enough, then why not give it to her in person?"

"What difference will that make?" Ed scoffed.

Roy's smirk turned into a soft smile. "Believe me Edward, there is no gift of greater worth than showing her you care enough to give it to her in person."

"Thanks, Colonel." Ed said, returning the smile.

And five minutes later found Edward walking out of the gadget shop, RoboBear 200 in hand and ready to give to his best friend. _Because she really deserves to have a present given not sent…_

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MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!! I know it's early (5:32pm Christmas Eve, UK) but I won't have time to put it up tomorrow. Anyway, have a good day guys!

-


	14. Bathroom Break

Heya people! It's currently 11:00 at night and I think I'm sleep-deprived because I am having a random idea for the next chapter. Sorry if it gets confusing at any point because I have not planned this one (not that any of the other were planned…)

Also, I'd like to add that this one will serve as my New Year chapter as I know for a fact that I will not be able to update after tonight until the New Year.

Oh, and by the by;

**These are Roy's secondary thoughts; they only apply to this chapter (so far)**_His primary thought still appear in italics and are in almost/all chapters_

Summary: Roy has a thinking session with his inner-self while Edward is trying to tell him something very important.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the random plot-bunnies that live in my garden… -grins-

… Yeah… on with the chapter! Enjoy!

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_Sigh, doesn't he have to go on? I mean it gets tiring after a while but__ he never seems to stop complaining!_ Colonel Roy Mustang had long before tuned out the continuous and seemingly never-ending complaints that were practically spilling from Edward Elric's mouth.

_Why? Why me?_ He thought, nodding appropriately, keeping up the illusion of him actually listening. _Wait, I know why… _**Yeah, you opened your big mouth and told him how to find you! **_…_ _Shut up…_

This mental argument between his reasonable side and his not-so reasonable side was interrupted when Edward slammed him hands down, heavily, on his desk.

Raising half-lidded eyes to look at the peed off blonde, Roy quirked an uninterested eyebrow. "What?" He asked, lazily.

Edward seemed to glow a slightly brighter shade of red. "Grr! You're not even listening, are you?" He all but shouted.

Roy sighed again. "My apologies, Fullmetal, please continue."

Ed snorted but continued with his "little" rant. "Anyway! As I was saying…"

And so Roy went back to tuning him out and just grunting, nodding or shaking his head at the right moments to keep Edward from slamming his hands on his desk again.

_How can such a small kid have so much breath and strength say all this?_ **It's your own fault he's here anyway, so-** _I thought I told you to shut up!_ Roy frowned; his mind could be so annoying sometimes.

"And that's how the building collapsed." Ed finally finished, much to Roy's relief.

"Uh-huh." The dark-haired man replied, lazily.

This mad Edward frown. "It's true!" He protested but Roy knew better than to believe him. "It is!" Ed continued. "The building collapsed due to its lack of support-beams and _not_ because of the explosion I made."

"Yeah, sure." By now, Roy was almost half-asleep. Glancing at the clock on his desk, Roy inwardly groaned; the kid had taken nearly an hour to give his "report". _Wonderful…_**It's your own-**_ Shut. Up!_

"Well?" Edwards's voice cut into his thoughts. "Was there anything else? Because I really need to…"

But Roy didn't hear him; he was far too busy daydreaming of a day without Edward… _SLAM!_ Roy turned his gaze to stare at a very irate Edward who had just slammed his Automail fist onto the desk, leaving an ever-so-slight dent in the surface.

"Colonel!" He said, frown still in place.

"Don't whine, Fullmetal." Roy drawled. "It's not a very good trait in a soldier."

"But-"

"Edward." Roy interrupted. "This report," he said, holding up the small piece of paper. "Is completely unreadable."

"But Colonel-!"

"Re-do it." Roy's smirked widened even further as Ed's expression changed from angry to disbelief and then back to angry again.

"Hmph. I can't." Ed replied, glaring at the man.

"And why is that?" Roy asked, still smirking. "Is your Automail broken?"

"No, but-"

"Are you going through a phase where you find that you are incapable of writing?"

"No! But-"

"Then I see no reason as to why you can't re-do your report now."

"I've been trying to tell you for the past ten minutes!" Edward cried.

"Really?"

Ed nodded, a slight blush tinting his face.

_Blushing? Why on earth is the kid blushing?_** Maybe he has a hot date and so-**_Shut up already! He's too young… and besides; Winry's not in town…_

"I need to go." Ed said quietly.

"Go where, exactly?" Roy asked. _This should be interesting…_

"No. I need to _Go._"

"Go?"

"Go!"

"… Oh! Go."

Ed nodded.

"You're dismissed." Roy said calmly, waving his hand towards the general direction of the door.

Edward nodded his thanks before turning and running out of the office.

"Just make sure you come back to finish this report!" Roy called after him. **…You know he's not coming back… **_probably not…_A wicked grin spread across the man's features. _Just wait 'til he finds out he's has to use the fifth floor bathrooms…_

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……………….. _Please_ don't ask me what possessed me to do this, I have no idea.

Just, please, review and tell me what you thought. Also, if anyone has any ideas/requests for the next chapter (or two) I will be more than happy to write them!

Cookies to all who reviewed! –Holds out numerous cookie jars- HAPPY NEW YEAR! -


	15. Authors Note

Hi guys! -ducks behind monitor- Sorry for the wait but I am running out of ideas. So if any of you guys have a scenario you would like to see Roy and Ed in (non-yaoi scenario that is), then I would be more than happy to write it for you! Just tell me in a review or PM me and I will try my best to write. However! I am working on the next chapter but it will take some time; it's not so much an parental!RoyEd as it is a brotherly!EdAl chapter...

Anyway! Thank you for being so patient! Cookies all round! -pushes giant plate of cookies out with stick-

Tears of Eternal Darkness -


	16. Missing Soldier

I'm sorry! I couldn't resist!

Ok! This one's a little sadder than the last one (and when I say a little sadder, I mean A LOT sadder) but it's got some brotherly fluff in there too. Yay!

Summary: When Ed doesn't return from a mission, Roy and Al get worried. Is the man Ed was sent to question as innocent as he seems? Or is Ed hidden somewhere?

Disclaimer: I don't own ANYTHING... except an Ed plushie –grins and waves Ed plushie-

Enjoy!

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Roy raised a hand and knocked three times on the wooden door of the small shack. After a while of silence from within, Roy knocked again. This time, there was movement from the other side of the door.

"Who's there?" A rough voice demanded.

Roy cleared his throat. "I am Colonel Roy Mustang." He stated firmly. "I am here on official Military business."

Silence answered him, followed by some indistinguishable mutterings and the sound of a key turning in a lock, before the door finally creaked open.

A tall, skinny man stuck his head through the gap to glare at the Military man before him. Then he noticed the tall suit of armour standing on his door step and the glare diminished.

"Hmph." He grunted, opening the door fully. "Wha'da you want?" he demanded in the same rough tone as before.

Mustang cleared his throat again. "We are looking for one of our soldiers."

"_We_?" The man asked, raising an eyebrow.

Roy nodded and Al stepped to one side to reveal that both first Lieutenant Hawkeye and second Lieutenant Havoc were stood silently behind him.

The man swallowed. "Yeah, well, there ain't been any soldier around here."

"We sent one to you." Roy replied with a slight frown. "He was sent to question you about a murder that happened two weeks ago."

The man stood silent and with his arm crossed over his chest.

"He would've been quite short." Roy continued. "Blonde hair, usually in a braid?"

The man remained silent but looked like he was thinking about it.

"Wearing black trousers and a long red coat?"

The man shook his head. "Nope." He said. "I told you; there ain't been any soldiers here. Now off with you."

Roy's frown deepened. _This has to be a mistake; Edward wouldn't just leave on a mission and then decide not to follow it through…_

"Are you sure my brother hasn't been here, sir?" Alphonse's echo-y voice asked, bringing him out of his musings.

"Nope." The man replied shortly.

"Excuse me," Roy interrupted them. "May we do a quick search of the premises just in case he is nearby?"

The man nodded slowly, as if he were unsure.

"Thank you." Roy replied before turning to his subordinates. "Havoc, search the western side of the property."

"Yes, Sir." Havoc saluted before turning and heading to the far side of the man's land.

Roy then turned to the younger Elric. "Al, you and I are going to search the eastern side."

"Ok." Al said with a slight nod.

"Hawkeye." Roy continued, turning to face her again.

The Lieutenant saluted as Roy took a step closer to her. "I want you to stay here and keep our friend here company." He said quietly.

"Sir." Riza said with an understanding nod.

With a quick glance at the land owner, Roy stepped off the man's porch and headed out towards the eastern side of the land that surrounded the shack.

Watching Roy search behind a few trees, Al found himself shuffling the dirt beneath his feet. _Wait a minute…_ He thought stepping back to study the ground he had previous been stood. _This earth looks like it's been disturbed…_

"Oh!" The man suddenly called, turning his attention away from the Colonel and towards the suit of armour. "Never you mind that!"

Al looked over his shoulder to see the man making his way towards him. Roy, hearing the man shout, stepped out from the trees to see what the commotion was about.

"Never you mind that." The man said again. "I just buried a few possums, is all."

Roy frowned. _A few possums, eh?_ He thought.

"It's very big for possums, wouldn't you say?" he asked aloud, not bothering to turn around.

The man didn't reply.

"Well," The Colonel said after a while. "If it's only possums, you won't mind if we dig it up, you know, just to make sure everything's alright."

Again, the man stayed quiet and Roy took this time to call to Havoc and Hawkeye. "Lieutenant Havoc," he said when the two arrived. "Go to the truck and get some shovels."

Roy watched Havoc run towards the truck to fetch the instruments before turning his attention back to the landowner.

"This will only take a minute." He said.

"It's only possums!" The man insisted.

"Perhaps. But we can't take any chances."

"Look," the man started after a pause. "I only ever bury possums out here. Why would I bury a shrimp Alchemist?"

Roy opened his mouth to reply but stopped and frowned. "…We never said he was an Alchemist."

Just then, Havoc arrived carrying three shovels. "Here you are, sir." He said.

Roy didn't reply as he rounded on the landowner. "What have you really buried here?" He demanded.

The man lowered his head, making his long, messy hair fall over his eyes. "You want your Alchemist back?" he asked snidely, a hint of laughter in his voice. "Good luck!"

No one said a word as the man raised his head to reveal a malicious smile and an insane look in his eyes. "I suspect the worms have got to him by now!"

Roy eyes flashed and it was all he could do to stop himself from snapping his fingers and frying the man where he stood.

Without another word, the Colonel turned and snatched a shovel from Havoc before thrusting the heavy metal into the grave. Havoc wasted no time in grabbing a shovel and following suit.

It was the landowners turn to get angry now. "What do you think you're doing to my land?" He shouted as he lunged at the two men.

Realising what the man was about to do, Al intervened and knocked the man to the ground. "Colonel!" He shouted over his shoulder. "Hurry!"

Roy nodded as he and Havoc continued to dig up the earth while Al and Hawkeye kept an eye on the man now sprawled on the ground.

Suddenly, Roy's shovel hit something solid. "Alphonse!" He called. "I've found something!"

Al rushed to the man's side and peered into the hole at the lid of what appeared to be a large wooden crate.

"Ed?" Al called nervously. They were met with silence and then a soft knocking came from inside the wooden crate. Roy heard the armour gasp and Al was soon on his knees helping to dig through the dirt in an attempt to get the crate out of the ground.

Roy let out a frustrated growl and sat back on his heels. "It's no use." He huffed angrily. "It's stuck."

"Stand back." Al said. Roy didn't hesitate before jumping to his feet and taking a few steps back.

Raising a heavy fist, Al took aim and punched the lid of the crate. The wood cracked but didn't break completely. This didn't deter Alphonse however; he took aim again and punched the wood where it was cracked. This time it broke; a small hole revealing the inside of the crate and Al could see something red.

"Ed!" he screamed as he hurriedly made a bigger hole in the wood.

Soon a small, flesh hand came into view and Al wasted no time in taking hold of it. "Hold on!" Al said, feeling Ed's hand tighten around his. He then stood and in doing so, pulled Ed straight through the broken wood.

"Brother!" Al cried as he set him down on the ground.

"Fullmetal!" Roy said coming to Al's side. "Are you alright?"

Either Ed didn't hear him or he was just too terrified to answer because he immediately threw his arms about his younger brother's armour and let out an anguished cry as tears flowed in thick rivers down his cheeks.

Roy stood silently to one side, only watching this heart-breaking scene from the side-lines. It was hard to remember that the Elric brothers were still children when they were running all over the country, but it was incidents like these, Roy thought, that really drew out their childish nature and made their masks slip just a little bit more.

------------

There! I'm sorry it took so long -ducks behind monitor- but still… I was thinking about continuing this for another chapter, showing Ed's side of the story, but I'm not sure. What'd you guys think? Good idea? Bad idea? Please tell me!

-


	17. Saved

This is a continuation (of sorts) of the last chapter "Missing Soldier". It's probably going to be more angsty than the last one but I'm not sure.

Summary: It was just an everyday mission; go to the location, question the occupants, come back, write report, go to bed… but this wasn't an everyday mission, not anymore… how did I get here?

Disclaimer I don't own anything!

Enjoy!

--

It was just another mission. Another mission Colonel Roy Mustang had assigned him to. Another mission that was like any other mission; go to the location, question the occupants, come back, give his report and go to bed. So it was a bit of a surprise when he woke up that night, not in his bed but outside, on a hard wooden table, bound hand and foot.

_Huh? What's going on?_ Edward thought with a groan. _Why am I tied up? Ow…_ A slight pain in the back of his head suddenly made itself known and the memories of being let into the house and then being hit over the head just a few hours ago came flooding back.

"Ah, you're awake are you?" A snide voice sounded from Ed's left. Looking to his left, Ed recognised the landowner. "Good," he continued. "That'll make this more fun."

Ed groaned again as the slight throbbing in his head started again. _What is this guy talking about…?_

"You know what we're gonna do with you?" The man asked as he leaned on the edge of the table.

Ed made no attempt to reply nor did he move.

The man's smirk returned even wider this time. "We," he indicated to another man, much bigger than himself, stood behind him. "Are going to teach you a lesson." The man behind him nodded, a matching evil smirk in place.

"We are going to teach you what happens to military scum who come to us accusing us of crimes that we didn't do." Ed's eyes went slightly wider when the other man indicated to the large crate he was stood next to.

The landowner's smirk widened. "Yeah, that's right little alchemist. We're going to bury you."

_What?! No! I__t… It can't be…! Mustang… Hawkeye…! Alphonse! Help me!_

"Ready?" The smaller man asked the larger, who nodded. "Good. Right." He continued turning back to Edward. "It's time." The man then slid one hand beneath Ed's knees and the other behind him back and lifted him non-to-gently, off the table and carried him to the crate.

Edward, not really liking where this was going, began to struggle but found that his movements were sluggish and the bonds on his wrists made it harder to move and impossible to perform alchemy.

"In you go." The man said as he placed Edward on his back in the crate. "Comfy?" He asked, sarcastically.

Ed didn't answer. He was concerned with trying to break his bonds.

"Good." And the last thing Edward saw before the hard wooden lid closed was the wicked face of the landowner.

Edward tried to get his breathing under control but found that taking in deeper breathes only made things worse. _Alphonse… Somebody…! Anybody! Please! Help me!_

BANG! Ed's breath caught in his throat as the sound of a nail being driven into the lid by a heavy hammer sounded. _Help…_

BANG! Another nail. This time closer to the middle.

BANG! And another nearer his feet. BANG! And another. BANG! Another. BANG! _Help me…_ BANG! _Help!_ BANG! _I don't want to die…_ BANG! _Please…!_ BANG! _Please…_ _HELP ME!_

Suddenly, all went silent and then the crate shifted, as if it were being carried. A few moments later, it was set down and Edward could hear the muffled voices of his captors.

THUD! _What was that?!_ THUD! _Oh no! They're pilling on the dirt! Please! Let me out!_ THUD! _Please!_ THUD! THUD! THUD!

Then silence again and all Ed could hear now was his own fast breathing. _Ok… come on, Ed… you can think of something… come on! THINK!_

Looking around as much as he could in the small confined space, Edward found that they had left him with nothing; not even a torch, which made it even harder to think.

Closing his eyes and taking a few deep breaths, Edward began to move his hands in an attempt to free them. After a while, he found the rope too tight and he was beginning to notice the pain in his flesh wrist.

_Ow… this is pointless…_ _I need to try and use alchemy… but… I can't… and… if I can't use it… then…_ Ed shook his head; he didn't want to think about that at the moment, even if it was true.

Then realisation struck; he wasn't getting out; he was going to die here.

Taking another deep breath, Edward tried to calm his rising anxiety to no avail. Soon, the panic was back and his breathing laboured.

_Oh, gosh! Help! I want to get out! I want out!__ HELP ME!_

"Ed?" His eyes flew open. _Alphonse?_

Listening hard, Edward could hear voices above and then the sound of someone digging with a shovel.

BANG! "Alphonse! I've found something!" _Colonel?_

"Ed?" _It is Alphonse! I'm here! Al! I'm down here!_

Moving his hands so they lay on top of his chest, he began to knock as hard as he could on the wooden lid.

The sound of more digging came from somewhere just above him. And then someone tried move the crate out of the dirt.

"It's no use. It's stuck." _Colonel!_

"Stand back." BANG! CRACK!

_ALPHONSE!_ Edward wanted to scream out to his brother but a huge lump in his throat stopped him.

BANG! CRACK! Suddenly, the lid broke and Al's fist was just visible.

"ED!" Al screamed grabbing Ed's bound hands. "Hold on!"

Ed did as he was told and no sooner had he done so, was Al pulling him straight through the broken lid.

The wood cracked and splintered, some bits scrapping him as he passed, but Edward didn't care. Alphonse was there! He was out of the crate!

"Brother!" Alphonse cried, setting Ed down on the ground.

Edward couldn't hold it in any longer; an anguished cry escaped him and think flows of tears spilled from his eyes as he threw his arms around his brother's armour.

_Alphonse! Alphonse! You saved me! Thank you! THANK YOU!_

--

………. There you go. I know it's hugely late but I tried. It's now 25 minutes past midnight on Monday 2nd and I've just speed written this and am very tired. Anyway, what do you think? Review? Please?

oh, and if you wondering about the rope that was binding Ed's wrists, let's just say Al broke it when he pulled Ed out of the crate (i couldn't find a good place to put it in so I left it out.)

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	18. Cliff trouble

Hey guys… sorry, I know it's late but work has been getting the way and, well, things haven't been going right for me in that department. But anyway! I was suddenly hit with a random bolt of inspiration (about three months ago) and then… I lost it. But! Then I suddenly got in back (about three days ago) and, well… this is the result. Please don't hate me; I know it's another sad one but I just can't think of anything funny at the moment. So, yeah, any ideas welcome!

Anyway, on with the next chapter.

Summary: After a heated argument with Mustang, Edward goes for a walk along a cliff. But when Mustang shows up to try and talk about what was said, things don't go so well…

Disclaimer: I own… nothing! If I owned anything, I would be rich, not working for Matalan and the world be mine by now… just kidding. I don't of FMA or the characters.

Enjoy!

--

The rain was finally letting up and Edward could see the dark clouds overhead were starting to move on. He wished he could say the same for his mood; his latest mission hadn't gone so well and, as a result, his Automail needed fixing again.

Knowing it would be while until Winry got to Central, he had decided to wait at Headquarters. However, after a heated argument with Colonel Mustang, he had stormed out of the office and left the building in a huff.

Thinking a walk would help calm him down, Ed headed towards a very small yet thick cluster of trees that sat on the slop of a cliff, about half a mile away from Central.

Walking slowing up the slope, Ed took in the familiar view; behind him the cliff sloped steadily down towards the city. Looking to his left, over the cliff, he could just make out the river that flowed past Central and at the very top of the cliff, was the waterfall that fed the river.

Soon, Ed reached the very top of the cliff. Having always preferred the county side to the bustling streets of the city, he felt more at home here. The sound of the waterfall always seemed to calm him.

"There you are." A voice cut through the silence like a knife and Edward spun on his heel to face Colonel Mustang.

"Go away." Ed said with a glare as he turned away from his superior officer.

"Edward, I am not going away." Roy said, trying to steady his breathing from having just ran up the cliff side. "We need to talk."

"We have nothing to talk about." Ed retorted angrily and with that he stalked past the Colonel and started walking along the cliffs edge.

Mustang turned to face the boy. "Edward." He began again, trying to keep his tone as calm as he could. "Stop acting like a child. I didn't mean to upset you."

At this Ed stopped and turned to glare fiercely at the dark-haired man. "Don't tell me to not act like a child!" He suddenly yelled. "In case you hadn't noticed, I am a child! Or have you forgotten even you own words?"

Roy frowned as he remembered their conversation earlier on that day. Taking a deep breath, Roy looked the blonde in the eye. "Look, I'm sorry, alright?"

"No! It's not alright!" Ed said, his fists shacking at his sides. "You don't mean that at all! You always say that but you never mean it!"

Roy was slightly taken aback by Ed's words but didn't let it show; instead he took a step forward but stopped when the boy instinctively took a step back. "Edward, stop this. I've apologised, what more do you want?"

"I want you to leave me alone." Ed replied, fuming as he took another step back.

"Edward stop!" Roy suddenly called out, seeing how dangerously close to the edge Ed was.

Ed's frown only deepened as he turned and started to walk further away from the Colonel.

"Edward!" Roy called, following the boy.

"Leave me alone!" Ed called back as he continued along the very edge of the cliff.

"Edward," Roy said as he finally caught up to him and placed a hand on the boys shoulder. "Stop already!" He said. "You going to-" But his warning came too late.

The ground beneath Ed's feet began to crumble. He made to step forward but it was too late, he had fallen too far.

Suddenly, a strong arm caught his Automail one. Looking up, Ed saw that it was Roy who had caught him and, for once, he was grateful to have the man here.

"It's alright." Roy said, fear lacing his voice. "I've got you."

Ed nodded, unable to speak through the shock of the sudden fall.

"Now," Roy continued. "I'm going to pull you up, but you need to help, ok?"

Again, Ed nodded.

"Alright." The man nodded as he readied himself on the edge of the cliff. "On three; one,"

Ed placed both feet against the broken cliff.

"Two,"

Bringing his flesh hand up to grip the edge, Ed braced himself.

"Three!"

Together, they began to pull, however, just as Ed was about to place a foot on the ground, something went snap.

Both froze. "What was that?" The Colonel asked.

"I… I think it was my-" Ed started but was cut off by yet another snap and a sudden jolt down. _Oh, no…_

"Give me your other arm!" Roy said urgently.

"If I let go of the cliff I'll fall!" Ed told him, panic beginning to rise.

Roy paused, he knew what Edward was trying to tell him; the sudden pull on the Automail may cause it to snap and so letting go of the cliff was not an option right now. "I won't let you fall." He said, determined. "I promise. Now let's try again."

Ed nodded before readying himself once again.

Roy took a deep breath before slowly beginning to pull up the cliff. Once again, a snap sounded, this time much louder.

"It's gonna break!" Ed shouted. Placing his feet against the wet cliff, he tried again, only this time, it was much worse; his feet immediately slipped, putting all his weight on his broken Automail.

In turn, this caused yet another very loud snap and before either could react, the arm broke completely.

"Edward!" Roy cried reaching for him in vain. All he could do was watch as the young blonde fell into the ragging river below.

Jumping to his feet, Roy ran as fast as he could towards the steep path that led to the river.

When he reached the water, he frantically began searching the waves for any sign of red.

As he ran along the bank a few feet, he suddenly caught sight of a golden head. Without thinking, he stepped into the river and began to swim towards Edward.

The deeper he got, the fiercer the current became. He nearly went under himself a few times but soon made it to where he had seen Edward moments before.

Taking a deep breath, Roy dove beneath the waves. Ignoring the slight pain of the rushing water, Roy forced his eyes open to search for the boy. Nothing. But then, he saw it a slight glimpse of red.

Kicking towards it he reached out a hand but found he could go no deeper; he had run out of air. Kicking swiftly to the surface, he took another deep breath and was just about to dive again when he heard someone call him.

"Colonel!" Roy looked up to see Havoc swimming towards him, a length of rope tied, securely around his waist.

"Havoc!" He called back. "He's down there but I think the current's holding him down."

Havoc nodded before taking a deep breath and diving below the current.

Moments later, Havoc surfaced and a golden head followed soon after. "Got 'im!" He cried but his sentence was cut short as he was dragged down again.

"Lieutenant!" Roy cried catching an unconscious Edward as he began to sink. Taking yet another deep breath, Roy dived below the water and was able to grab Havoc's arm before the other man got pulled down too far.

Again, the Colonel kicked to the surface, pulling both Havoc and Edward with him.

"Thank you." Havoc breathed.

Roy nodded as he pulled on the rope to signal for those on the shore to pull him back.

Soon, the three were on the bank and Edward was laid on the ground.

"He isn't breathing!" Roy informed them.

"Sir?" Riza said quickly, coming to kneel beside him. "Are you familiar with CPR?"

Roy gave her a blank look.

"Never mind, Sir." Riza said, as she removed Edward's jacket. "Now," she continued, seriously. "Sir, I need to place you hands, one on top of the other, here." She indicated in the middle of Edward's chest.

Roy didn't hesitate and did as he was told.

"Right," Riza went on. "When I tell you, pump his chest four times. Hard."

Again, Roy nodded and waited.

Riza then tilted Ed's head back before leaning forward and breathing into the teen's mouth.

When she drew away, she nodded to the Colonel who pushed hard on Ed's chest four times before stopping. No response.

Riza dipped and blew air into Ed's lungs and Roy pumped four times, a little harder this time. No response.

Again, Riza dipped and Roy pumped. No response.

"Come on, Ed." Havoc whispered anxiously from behind the Colonel.

Another breath and another four pumps. No response.

"Come on." Breda whispered.

It had been nearly ten minutes and Edward still hadn't responded.

"Colonel." Riza finally spoke, turning a solemn gaze to her superior.

"Again." Roy said, not taking his gaze off of the youth before him.

Riza nodded and breathe into the boy once more. No response.

"Again." Roy commanded.

No response.

"Again!"

No response.

A deathly silence fell. No one dare breathe a word.

Armstrong stood beside Havoc, who was knelt next to the Colonel now. Furey stood beside Falman, tears slowly making their way down his cheeks while Breda placed a hand on the younger soldiers shoulder, a sad look in his eyes.

All eyes were on the dark haired man, who had yet to remove his hands. "Again." He finally said.

"Sir-" Riza started but was cut off.

"I said again!" Roy shouted.

"Sir, he's not responding." Havoc tried.

"Just once more!"

"Sir!" Riza said firmly but continued in a much softer voice, "Edward is not responding."

Roy lowered his gaze.

"He was under for too long." Havoc said, placing a hand on Roy's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Sir."

Roy nodded in understanding, but then something struck him; he had promised Edward he wouldn't let him fall. That he would pull him to safety and everything would be alright.

But he had broken that promise and now, the teen lay on the brink of death and he wasn't even going to try to save him? _I think not!_

Roy eyes flashed as he spoke in a much harder tone than before; "Again."

"B-but Sir-" Riza started.

"Again!" Roy shouted. "I will not have him die here!"

Riza knew that look in the Colonel's eyes; the look he had when he was dead set on something. There was no way to talk him out of this.

With a sharp nod, Riza took a deep breath, dipped and breathed into the teen once again.

And again, Roy waited for her nod to pump the boy's chest four times, hard. No response.

Riza looked up at her superior and he nodded; she was to continue.

Again she breathed and again he pumped. No response.

A third time and just when she was about to breath again, the small body convulsed and a small cough escaped the blonde, followed by another and soon his entire frame was shaking with the coughs as his water filled lungs began to struggle for air.

Roy moved away slightly as Edward rolled to one side and spat a lungful of water onto the damp ground. The small blonde let out a few more coughs before his golden eyes slowly opened and his gaze fell on Roy.

"C-" Another cough. "Colonel?"

Roy couldn't believe it; after being underwater for more than five minutes and not breathing for more than ten, Edward was now awake and presumably well.

Roy couldn't think of anything to say. Instead, he moved forward and drew the boy in a tight embrace.

"I'm so glad you're alright." He said as the boy sat stunned by his superior's actions.

Finally, Roy let him go and when he saw the stunned look on Ed's face, he could help but smile.

"Edward." The boy turned to look at Riza, who offered him a smile. "You gave us quite a scare. We're glad you're alright."

Ed nodded and offered his own, slightly weaker, smile.

"Yeah, Chief." Edward turned to look at Havoc when he felt a hand land on the top of his head. Looking to his right, he saw the Lieutenant knelt beside him. "We thought you weren't gonna make it."

"Thanks." Ed said as sarcastically as he could.

Havoc chuckled. "Welcome." He smiled as he ruffled Ed's damp hair.

"Well," Roy said standing. "There's no point in us staying here."

Riza nodded, "We should head back to Central." She said, also rising to her feet.

The others nodded their agreement as Roy turned back to Edward, who still sat on the ground.

"Come on." He said, offering a hand.

Ed looked at it for a moment before reaching up with his only hand and taking hold of the Colonel's.

Roy smiled as he pulled the boy to his feet but frowned when he saw Ed stumble slightly. "Are you alright?" he asked concerned.

Ed frowned. "My leg feels funny." He stated.

"Which one?" Roy asked.

"My left."

Roy blinked; he didn't have a clue about Automail. Nonetheless, he knelt down and pulled the wet and slightly torn trouser leg up to reveal that the metal had a rather large crack running down the inside of the ankle.

Roy sighed. "Can you walk?" He asked, knowing too well that walking on a cracked leg would probably cause Edward some problems.

"… No." Ed admitted after testing the leg.

Everyone was a bit stumped as to how they were going to get the young alchemist to the truck. Then, an idea hit Breda; "One of us if gonna have to carry him." He asked.

"Hmph. That's not a bad idea, Breda." Riza said with a small smile as she turned to face the Colonel.

Roy sighed. "Fine." He said, stepping towards Ed.

"Wait a minute! What're you doing?" Ed demanded, taking a step back.

_Crack!_

The Automail had given way at the ankle, resulting with Edward loosing his balance and falling backwards, landing hard on the ground. "Ow!" He winced, looking at the metal ankle.

"Are you alright, Fullmetal?"

Ed looked up at Roy with a scowl. "No." He huffed. "It's shot."

Roy smiled. "So," He said, kneeling beside Edward once more. "You ready to be carried?"

Ed didn't reply and Roy, taking his silence as a yes, put one arm under the boy's knees and the other behind the boy's back and before Ed could protest, he lifted him into his arms with ease.

Edward was a little shocked about being picked up so easily but soon recovered enough to protest.

"Hey!" He yelled. "What do you- Put me down!"

Roy, needless to say, ignored him and carried him all the way back to Central.

--

There. I know. It's rubbish but it's the best I can do. Anyway, please review!

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	19. Dopey

*Peeks out from behind monitor* ...Hello everyone. I am still alive and have just had a random blast of mini inspiration. I am SO sorry about the long wait but I was lacking in inspiration and my uni work kind of built up.

Anyway, this chapter has a dedication! To my best friend Touch of an angel4 as she was in need of a laugh.

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Please don't sue me!

Summary: The Colonel is in a dopey mood and Edward just so happens to be around.

Please note: this is a (poor) attempt at humour and I would appreciate a little feedback on my (lame) "humour".

Enjoy!

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"Give it back!" Edward yelled angrily. The Colonel shook his head and looked _down_ at him with that _annoyingly_ smug look on his face.

Edward growled and jumped up to try and rescue his watch from the 'evil' Colonel's grasp. His efforts were wasted and he growled... again... as the Colonel raised his arm up higher above his head.

Ed's face only grew redder and the man had to suppress a laugh.

The boy sighed and ceased his jumping. "Colonel," he began but was interrupted when a hand shot out and reached behind his head.

"Yoink!" The Colonel said pulling his hand away.

Before Ed knew what had happened, he felt his braid slowly uncurling and his long, blonde hair fell loose about his shoulders.

With a look of utter disbelief on his face, he looked up at the man. However, his expression soon changed to one of anger when he saw the Colonel looking at him (smugly, he might add) whilst holding- No, _dangling _his red hair band in front of his face.

Ed's face grew red once again and the Colonel was sure he even saw his _hair_ reacting. This only fuelled the man's amusement and it was all he could do to stop himself from dropping to the floor in a fit of laughter at the sight of the Fullmetal Alchemist with his long hair down and flying around him as he bristled with barely contained rage.

"GIVE THAT BACK!" Ed yelled, grabbing for the hair band only to have it pulled away.

And so the argument continued. The pocket watch lay forgotten on the table.

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I'm sorry it's short but it's all I can do at the moment. Hope you like Angel!

Please review! =^-^=


	20. A present from Roy

EDIT: This is the same chapter just with fewer (I hope) mistakes.

Hello everyone! I know it's been a while since I last updated but I have an idea at last! *watches tumble-weed*... Ok, so it may have taken a _very_ long time for the idea to barge its way in but I've been busy. Very busy in fact what with uni and work and everything else that's important (who needs sleep anyway?)

Ahem... anyway, so here's the summary: It's that time of the year again where everyone goes nuts for turkey and presents. But what's this? Poor little Edward is working on Christmas?!

Disclaimer: I own nothing what so ever!

"Talking"

_Thinking_

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Roy sighed. He could understand working on Halloween and Easter but working on Christmas Eve was ridiculous! He had people to see and presents to give. He didn't have time to sit in his dingy old office with nothing but stacks upon stacks of paperwork as company.

Looking at the clock, his heart sank and his shoulders droped; 11:27pm. _Nearly Christmas..._ he reminded himself with a groan.

Thump! His head hit the desk. Hard. "Ow." He muttered as he rolled his head onto one side so he could glare at the clock tiredly. "Why?" He continued to himself. "Why can't someone else do this? I'm a soldier not a secretary." He slowly lifted his head up to rest his chin on the papers in front of him. "I hate my job." He groaned.

"You and me both," came a reply from the doorway.

Roy looked up through half-lidded eyes to see the Bain of his career and office half-pint, Edward Elric stood in the doorway carrying a pile of papers. The Colonel groaned.

"Are those for me?" he asked, tiredness evident in his voice.

Ed looked at him with a scowl on his young face. "No." He scoffed. "They're for me." He continued as he made his way towards one of the sofas in front of Roy's desk.

"For you?" Roy asked, sitting up in his chair.

"Yes." Ed huffed as the papers hit the table between the sofas.

Roy raised an eyebrow ever so slightly. "Why?" he asked cautiously.

"I was given them a while back and told to do it before the end of the year but I never did so now I'm stuck doing it on Christmas Eve." This was said with a hint of irritation as the blonde plopped himself down on the sofa.

Roy nodded in understanding. "I know the feeling, kid." He sighed bringing his pen to the papers once again.

Silence fell about the office as the two began to work. The only sound being that of pen scratching against paper.

After a while, Roy looked at the clock and couldn't help the bitter smile that played on his lips; 00:16am. Roy returned his attention to the task at hand. Silently, he wondered if the boy before him had noticed that it was Christmas day yet.

Not stopping the movement of his hand, the older man glanced up at his young subordinate; the boy had kicked his boots off and was now sat cross-legged on the sofa. His coat lay beside him and his braid had fallen over his shoulder as he lent forward slightly so his elbows could rest on the table edge as he worked.

Roy's bitter smile turned into a smirk as he quietly placed his pen down. Leaning down, he pulled the bottom draw of his desk open as silently as he could before pulling something out of it and pushing it shut again.

The man straightened and cleared his throat. Ed gave him a sideways glance and was about to turn back to his work when he caught sight of the ever-growing smirk on the Colonel's face. "What?" he asked suspiciously.

"Here." Roy said as he tossed a small, neatly wrapped box towards the blonde. Ed caught it with ease and looked at him quizzically. "Merry Christmas." Was all the explanation Roy gave as he went back to work.

Ed watched him for a second before looking at the clock; 00:20am. The boy looked at the present in his hand for a second before slowly unwrapping it. An amused smile spread across his face when he saw the small snow globe that now lay in his automail hand.

"Here." Roy looked up just in time to catch the small wrapped box that was flicked his way. Unwrapping it, Roy gave an equally amused smile as his eyes watched the identical snow globe.

"Thanks." He said with a soft laugh to which Ed gave an automail thumbs up. And with that, the two went back to their paperwork.

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There you go. What do you think? I know it's early for Christmas but I thought I better upload it now because otherwise it would lay forgotten on my USB and then never make it to the internet... so sad... anyway, please review! =^-^=


	21. Egg Hunt

Hi everyone. I know it's been a while. I don't really have an excuse except that life happened and I sort of lost track of things. Anyway, this isn't going to be a terribly long chapter as I'm only just getting back into writing and I just wanted to do something for Easter. Thank you so much for everyone's support! I'll try and keep writing and updating when I can.

For now, please enjoy this long over-due chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of the characters.

* * *

Edward was walking through the busy streets of Central, a smile on his face despite heading to HQ. The sun was high in the sky but he couldn't complain; it was Easter after all.

Passing through the gates of the Military building, he was approached by a young officer. The man, who was not much taller than himself, gave Edward a salute. The boy waved it off, giving the officer a quizzical look.

"Colonel Mustang wants to see you in his office right away, Sir." The officer said.

Ed sighed, the smile gone from his lips. "Ok." He said and, ignoring the officer's salute, began stalking towards the Colonel's office.

Once there, Ed paused outside the door. He gave another sigh before grasping the handle and pushing the door open, not bothering to knock.

"Alright, Mustang," He said, as he stepped inside the room and pushing the door closed behind him none too gently. "What is it this-?" He cut off his question when he looked up to see that no one was in the room. No stupid Colonel with that stupid grin on his face, hiding behind his stupid paper work. Not even the Lieutenant was present.

Ed took a step towards Roy's desk. "Um, hello?" He asked hesitantly. "Mustang?" He sighed when he didn't get a reply. "If this is some kind of a joke..." he trailed off when he noticed a single white piece of paper on Mustang's otherwise clear desk.

Curiosity getting the better of him, Ed made his way over to it and peered at the paper. It was addressed to him. Picking it up, he began to read.

"_Fullmetal,_

_You have been given a new assignment. Should you choose to accept it (and you had better), follow the instruction on the back of this note to get to the first bit of evidence. Good luck._

_Mustang"_

Ed blinked. He blinked again and re-read the note. What was the Colonel up to?

Something hard hit is right foot. Looking down, he noticed something small, wrapped in brightly coloured foil roll of his boot and onto the floor. He picked it up and was surprised to see it was a small Easter egg. He frowned. Then it clicked. A egg hunt!

A wide grin spread across his face and he quckly turned the note over and read the instructions on the back.

He only had to read them once to know he had to head to the library.

It wasn't long before he was walking through the long aisles of large alchemical texts, still chewing on the chocolate egg. He re-read the instructions; he was in the right place but he was looking for a specific shelf that held books on basic alchemy. The problem was, which shelf.

He stopped in the middle of the aisle and looked around. Then, on a shelf just above his head, he noticed something colourful amongst the dull covers of the tomes that surrounded him. Reaching up, he pulled the egg and the small folded note from the shelf.

Unwrapping the egg and popping it into his mouth, he began to read the second note;

"_Well done. If you are reading this, then you survive the first stage. There are three more to go. Good luck."_

Turning it over, he discovered more instructions, this time in the form of a riddle. Reading it through a couple of times, he soon began dashing off towards the shooting range.

The shooting range was quiet, even Hawkeye wasn't practicing her perfect aim. The next egg he found was hidden just within his reach – something he suspected was Mustang's idea – on the middle shelf of the gun rack. The rifle it was resting on was one he recognised as Risa's own. He smiled as he popped the egg in his mouth and read the note.

He visited the barracks next and was not surprised to find the egg in the room he and Alphonse usually stayed in whenever they were in Central. The last note, lead him back to Mustang's office.

Cautiously, he pushed the door open and peered inside.

"Fullmetal!" A familiar voice called, sounding stern.

Ed stepped inside and was greeted with a very irate looking Colonel. The man was sat behind his desk his elbows resting on the empty surface.

Ed felt his excitement begin to drain as he locked glares with the Colonel.

A stained silence stretched between them.

"Well?" Mustang finally said, one dark eyebrow arching.

Ed started. "Well what?" He demanded, folding his arms across his chest defiantly.

Mustang smirked behind his hands. "Have you accepted your assignment?"

Ed stared at the man for a moment before giving an over-dramatic sigh. "Yeah, I got it. It's was easy though." He said, his own smirk creeping onto his face.

"Oh really?" Mustang asked, leaning back in his chair. "I guess I'll have to find you trickier ones next time."

Ed only smirked at that. He the remembered the last note which he still held in his automail hand.

"So," He said, holding up the note. "Where's this last egg?"

"That's cheating you know." Mustang said, his smirk growing as he sat forward in his chair and reached down into the bottom draw of his desk. He gave his own over-dramatic sigh as he sat up again. "But I suppose you'll be wanting this?" He asked bringing a small egg into view.

It was bigger than the ones Ed had been finding on his hunt and just as colourful. Ed couldn't help the grin that spread across his face once more as he looked between the egg and his commanding officer.

Mustang's smirk grew even bigger, if possible, as he held the egg out to the boy. Ed stepped forward and took it.

After a moment though, his smile faltered. "But, I didn't get you anything." He said, lowering his gaze to the floor.

Mustang gave an amused snort. "I didn't do this to get chocolates for myself," He said, standing and reaching forward to ruffle Edward's hair. "I did this because I wanted to."

Ed looked up and met his gaze, his smile returning. "Thanks, Mustang."

* * *

I'm no good at riddles. Deal with it.

I'm not all that happy with the ending but I was struggling; I didn't want it to end up too sappy, but this is the best I could do. Anyway, what did you guys think? Good? Bad? Let me know. Oh, and Happy Easter!


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